The author is better known as an authoritative writer on world food; here is his first novel, with a wry look at the world of international diplomacy and the dysfunctional way it reacts in a crisis. In this case, a rather implausible plot to kidnap an entire NATO committee by a bunch of thinly-drawn environmentalists culminates in a thoroughly Belgian denouement. The fact that the story was initially supressed by Davidson's employers reflects badly on the judgement of the Foreign Office, though it is hard to see why they took it so seriously. (5), 286 pp. View more info